INTERVIEW: Do as well as I can

Midfielder Jack Lynch spoke to us about his first professional contract having put pen-to-paper on a one-year deal on Wednesday afternoon.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in properly yet,” he admitted.

“I’ve started to do a bit of my own training so that I know I’ll be ready for pre-season but I don’t think it’ll fully sink in until I get back on the first day.”

“I think the fact that I’ve trained with the first team before will help,” he said. “I know I’m going to have to be ready to deal with the pace of the training because it’s all done at a very high intensity.

“The gaffer told me to go away and have a good rest but we also got a programme to do as well. That’s designed to make sure we build ourselves up slowly to a point where we can come back and get on with the job we have to do.”

“I did have two weeks of complete rest when I first got home but even then I was looking forward to getting back in the gym,” he told us. “It’s when you’re out on your runs and doing bits and pieces of other fitness work that you start to understand what it is you’re working for.

“Hopefully I’ll get back and do as well as I can. Fingers crossed, I’ll get a couple of chances in the pre-season games and I’ll be able to show that I can cope with this level of football. If that happens it’ll mean that I’ll get more chances to play, so that has to be my main aim.”

For a Blackburn Rovers season ticket holder, the chance to play in games against Bolton and Burnley must have raised a smile.

“They are two very good sides,” he said. “It’s a great chance for all of us to test ourselves and I’m sure that everyone will want to play. Again, if you can cope with that then it can only be good for confidence.

“I’m not really the type to suffer from too many nerves, though. Some of that might be down to the fact that I’m not really sure what to expect, but what I do know is I’m looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get started.”

And if any inspiration is needed, he doesn’t have too far to look.

“Seeing the lads who came through the youth system kick on like they did last season has given me a great amount of belief,” he concluded.

“They’ve been along the same pathway and it’s been really good to watch them week in and week out. It shows us all that it can be done if we do things properly. It would be nice if I could follow in their steps.”